Mental health issues associated with the management of tuberculosis in Homabay, Busia and Kakamega Counties, Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Despite the implementation of patient-centred care, mental health issues remain a significant risk factor and comorbidity for Tuberculosis (TB) disease. Mental health issues being co-morbidities to TB are likely to increase the disease burden of the affected population. This study therefore investigated the prevalence and impact of mental health issues in Tuberculosis (TB) patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study design used mixed methods in data collection. The study used structured questionnaires, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. 127 TB patients were purposively selected from a group of patients who previously recovered successfully, with a history of relapse or are currently on TB treatment in high-volume facilities in Homa Bay, Busia and Kakamega Counties. 30 Key informant interviews were conducted with Healthcare workers. Quantitative data analysis was done using STATA version 14. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data using NVivo version 10. RESULTS: The findings showed that the most common mental health issues affecting TB patients were anxiety (66%) and depression (55%), which were commonly experienced during the presumptive stage of TB. Qualitative data revealed that stigma was the main barrier that hindered TB patients from accessing care. TB patients articulated the benefits of support structures ranging from positive encouragement, reminders on taking drugs, accompaniment to the clinic, and financial support in TB management. Furthermore, the study established that the majority of Health Care Workers (HCWs) were not prepared to handle TB patients' mental issues, a gap that is likely to impact the quality of care TB patients receive. CONCLUSION: The study established that mental health issues impact TB treatment outcomes. Healthcare systems should prioritize the integration of mental health care into TB programs to address the high prevalence of mental health issues among TB patients.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein in HIV care: Tuberculosis diagnosis and short-term mortality in a cohort of Kenyan HIV patients in the DREAM programme.

OBJECTIVE: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death in HIV-positive people. In Kenya, 140 000 new TB cases occurred in 2019, and 13 000 HIV-positive patients died due to TB. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) in TB diagnosis and the prediction of mortality in HIV-positive patients. METHODS: The IDEA-TB Study enrolled HIV-positive adult patients attending three DREAM centres in Kenya who were suspected of having TB. A lateral flow urine lipoarabinomannan assay (LF-LAM), serum HS-CRP, and GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert MTB/RIF) were performed. Six-month survival was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 574 patients were enrolled. The median (interquartile range) age, body mass index, and CD4 count were 45 years (37-54 years), 20.5 kg/m2 (18.5-23.69 kg/m2), and 477 cells/mL (290-700 cells/mL), respectively. TB was confirmed in 87 (15.2%) patients. Concordance between the Xpert MTB/RIF and LF-LAM tests was 87.1%. HS-CRP was higher in TB patients (35.39 mg/l vs 9.21 mg/l). Malnutrition and elevated HS-CRP were associated with TB: odds ratio (OR) 2.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-5.72) and OR 6.6 (95% CI 3.87-11.52), respectively. Nine (1.6%) patients died during follow-up. No single factor was associated with mortality. Only the combination of malnutrition and elevated HS-CRP was highly predictive of death (odds ratio (OR) 9.8, 95% CI 1.88-50.95); the association was stronger in TB patients (33.3% vs 1.0%; OR 47.6, 95% CI 7.03-322.23). CONCLUSION: TB diagnosis in HIV-positive patients remains challenging. HS-CRP could play a role in predicting early mortality in symptomatic patients.